Occupy Alcatraz!

Alcatraz Island was occupied in November 1969 by Indians of All Tribes, a group of about one hundred Native American college students and activists from UCLA and the San Francisco Bay Area. Led by Richard Oakes, the occupation was organized to draw attention to the sociopolitical situation of Native Americans and to encourage self-determination. The federal government ended the occupation in June 1971.

This small exhibit draws on materials from the Alcatraz Indian Occupation collection, donated to SFPL by Indians of All Tribes in 1972. On view will be correspondence, petitions of support, newsletters, fundraising and legal appeals, and other documentation of life on the island during the occupation.

The exhibition will be accompanied by portraits of Bay Area indigenous individuals and families, many of whom were part of, or have connections to, the Alcatraz occupation. The individuals were photographed at the Main Library and at the Pioneer monument last spring. These photographs are courtesy of the San Francisco Arts Commission, as part of The Continuous Thread exhibition.

Join the Library's celebration honoring the voices of Indigenous and native peoples for National American Indian Heritage Month.

One City One Book is San Francisco's annual citywide literary event, encouraging our community to read the same book at the same time and then discuss it in book groups and events throughout the City.
In 2019, we're reading There There by Tommy Orange.
Find out more at: One City One Book.